Virgin still weighing its options for Flybe takeover as budget airline shares soar December 19, 2018 Shares in struggling low cost airline Flybe have taken off this morning after Virgin Atlantic said it was still considering a potential takeover bid. Sir Richard Branson’s airline opened talks to buy the company last month after the Exeter-based airline puts itself up for sale. Virgin confirmed this morning that it was still “reviewing its [...]
Eleven banks chosen to join £350m RBS scheme to boost business banking competition December 19, 2018 Eleven banks have been chosen to join a £350m scheme to encourage small businesses to move away from RBS in a bid to boost competition. Challenger banks including Monzo, Metro and Starling as well as Santander, Co-operative, CYBG and TSB were selected by the Banking Competition Remedies body (BCR) and funding amounts will be revealed [...]
UK watchdog calls for new powers on tackling £4bn ‘loyalty penalty’ after super-complaint December 19, 2018 The UK's Competition and Markets Authority has said it will seek new powers to fight the so-called loyalty penalty faced by consumers across multiple industries, including insurance, mobile phones, broadband, savings accounts and mortgages. The challenge comes off the back of a super-complaint made by consumer body Citizens Advice in September, a practice designed to end [...]
DEBATE: Will the new recommendations from the CMA help rebuild trust in the audit sector? December 19, 2018 Will the new recommendations from the CMA help rebuild trust in the audit sector? Michael Izza, chief executive of ICAEW, says YES. The proposals from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), alongside the Kingman Review, are the kind of bold intervention in audit that we have been calling for. Breaking up the larger firms was unlikely [...]
Theresa May’s #My100Days challenge: Prioritise business post-Brexit December 19, 2018 Earlier this year, I heard about a new Twitter initiative, known as the #My100Days challenge. The campaign encouraged everyone to think about what they could accomplish over the course of 100 days. Commitments ranged from spending more time with family and friends to getting involved in volunteering projects. With exactly this length of time left [...]
All change in 2019, as Europe heads to the polls December 19, 2018 Just as it is always 5 o’clock somewhere in the world, there are always voters preparing to go to the polls, even when they don’t hit the headlines here in the UK. In the first part of 2019, almost a third of the world’s population will take part in significant elections. In April and May [...]
The Ghost of Christmas Past could tell us where the negotiations all went wrong December 19, 2018 In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Scrooge finds being haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Past unbearable. He begs it to stop. The Ghost replies: “These are the shadows of things that have been. That they are what they are, do not blame me.” It might almost be the Prime Minister speaking about the whole [...]
Time for a migration policy based on sense December 19, 2018 Throughout the Brexit process, as the government’s core objectives and red lines have one by one been compromised away, a single aim has remained front, centre, and non-negotiable: end freedom of movement and give Britain control over its future immigration policy. The question, then, is how it will use this power. The long-awaited government white [...]
Big pharma: GSK to split as it forms £9.8bn consumer health venture with Pfizer December 19, 2018 British pharmaceuticals group Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has revealed it has entered into an agreement with US rival Pfizer to combine their consumer health businesses into one joint venture, expected to bring in sales of approximately £9.8bn. GSK said it will hold a majority controlling interest in the new venture at 68 per cent, while Pfizer will [...]
Waterfront London properties take 30 per cent premium, a bargain compared to Paris December 18, 2018 London waterfront homes come with a hefty price tag, but the 30 per cent premium to inland properties still falls well below equivalents in Paris and Sydney. While homeowners with a view of the water can expect to pay a hefty premium in London, they are fetching bargains compared to Paris and Perth, where the [...]